First let me say, that I have lived in Southern California MOST of my life. When dinosaurs roamed the earth I was in junior high, I used to go to the roller rink to see the local rap group do their thing. Who, you may ask, were the local rap groups?
Yep, that's how I got down. And they played right in Compton. I was about 13 years old. Me & my cousin (who lived around the corner from the rink) would talk her mom into dropping us off and picking us up...EARLY, before the shootings started.
As I got older, I got to see random concerts...DeBarge at Magic Mountain (anybody else remember doing that?), Janet Jackson at the Forum, Jodeci in Honolulu...I even saw Zapp and Roger at some random place in Arizona. I get around, remember.
And then...nothing.
And it's not like I stopped listening to music. In fact, I was probably MORE into music than ever. I was working at a Tower Records, I was buying CDs EVERY week (and porn...the Tower Records that I worked in for some inexplicable reason sold porn). I had over 600 CDs at this point. I was listening to everything from ABBA to the Pharcyde to Nine Inch Nails.
I hadn't been to a concert in YEARS. Then I decide, out of the blue, I'm going to a Weenie Roast. Which is basically a 12 hour concert. In one day, I saw Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Motley Crue, The Killers, Dead 60's, My Chemical Romance and a SHITLOAD of other bands. That was 2004.
And since that festival, I've been to a bunch more. I believe that last year, I went to at least one concert, every month. For a minute, I think I forgot how much I LOVE music. And how good it feels to be THERE. Not just listening to a CD of your favorite band playing LIVE, actually standing there, in a crowd of people with the bass so loud it feels like it's pumping your heart. And it IS in a way, I feel so alive and so free at concerts. It reminds me of why I love that band SO MUCH. Why that band can cheer me up when I'm having a shitty day, or be my theme music when I'm having a "fuck the world" moment...or pushes me to give in to temptation...not that I needed all that big a push (I'm sure The Man thanks God everyday for the Isley Brothers and Marvin Gaye)...Who doesn't love babymakin' music?
Anyways, I'm going to my first concert since I've been off crutches. We'll call it a "welcome back" gift to myself. Am I excited...Am I really going to be able to stand for 2 hours bouncing around at The Joint...Am I crazy enough to try? Damn right, I am.
Keep on rockin' it y'all....
11 comments:
Tower? West Covina? I guarantee you sold music (and possibly porn) to my dad at one point in time. I was probably standing there waiting to go home.
Small fucking world.
That picture you have up of NWA? My daughter has a flag (or blanket or something large) of it draped across the backseat of her car. Yep, my little girl likes to rock it old school. And she has one of those cars that thumps and the windows shake so its even louder.
Who are you going to see????
My last concert was the Jonas Brothers. Thought I was being a good mom, ended up with a Joe Jonas obsession. Yeah, my girls are mortified.
p.s. NIN rocks.
I haven't been to a concert in about three years...I think I am due for one!
I would rather go without food then go without music. Well, maybe. But really, without music, life is a mistake.
You're never old as long as you can enjoy good music. Sadly I can no longer bang my head as I don't have enough hair. And I have to watch the mosh pit in case I damage my knees. Oh, and why can't they turn it down a bit?
Nah! I jest. I'm nearly 50 and I still still go to festivals and gigs. I'll be in my box at Glastonbury one year. You wait and see.
I was with you until you had to mentione debarge :)
West Covina! Wow, I was born in West Covina...and spent a decent amount of my childhood in a little house just off of Hollenbeck.
I totally agree with Stevyn...you are never old as long as you enjoy good music!
I LOVE MUSIC also being a TEEN of the 80's and ALL! SO showing my age a bit there...I was a fan of Motley Crue big time...Poison...ect
Debarge...not so much. I recently bought kid rock cd. NEVER been to a concert though!
Oh Tammy Tam... Kid Rock in concert is AWESOME. I saw him last year.
The Rock N Roll Jesus CD ROCKS! I bought it for HURICANE EVACUATION...IF I was going to be stuck in the car for HOURS with the KIDDOS watching WIGGLES, Spiderman and the HUBS playing MAMMA MIA...well I needed SOMETHING and KID ROCK fit the BILL plus that SONG ALL SUMMER LONG....reminded ME SO MUCH OF MY 80's! ALMOST 40 soon!
OOO and YOUR working at Tower Records puts that IMAGE of that MOVIE back in the late 80's or Early 90's of EMPIRE RECORDS??? DO you remember that ONE? THEY had some awesome music in that soundtrack!
Ya, who are you going to see? I loved Public Enemy and NWA. Also, that festival you went to in 04? jealous!!!
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